Gig review: AC/DC – Wembley Stadium, London, 3 July 2024

July 22nd, 2024 by andynathan

Over recent years, AC/DC seem to have transcended our own world of rock’n’ roll to have a wider cultural resonance. Fans range from Prince William who allegedly works out to Thunderstruck’ to Ally McCoist whose wide-eyed ‘is that AC/DC?’ enthusiasm at hearing ‘Hells Bells’ pre-match in Bayern Munich’s stadium became a viral meme this spring.

When the European ‘PwrUp’ tour was announced (well over three years after the album’s release!) there was much debate in my circles on whether the ticket prices were worth it, or if bygones should be bygones, not least with Cliff Williams and Phil Rudd no longer touring, plus of course Malcolm Young’s passing. On the other hand, with Brian Johnson firmly back in the fold that last London show in 2016 where Axl Rose deputised now seems a distant memory.

The clinching factor for me was not so much the music or expecting anything new, but imagining the atmosphere as people joined in with some of rock’s most iconic songs for possibly one last time and sure enough, despite unseasonably autumnal weather including occasional drizzle, the atmosphere was crackling from the start.

I realised long ago (unable to understand in 1988 why more people other than me weren‘t into Dokken!) that no-one goes to an AC/DC show to see the support band. Nevertheless, owning a couple of rarely played albums, I was curious to watch The Pretty Reckless for the first time. With her long blonde hair and black and red mini dress it was hard to miss Taylor Momsen, who had plenty of on stage movement and a reasonable voice.

However the rest of the band had no stage presence and the songs were dull, only sparking into life occasionally with ‘Witches Burn’, ‘Going To Hell’ and set closer ‘Take Me Down’. In a generous hour slot, they were utterly forgettable and some way off the quality of contemporaries like Halestorm. Not so much Pretty Reckless as pretty average.

As a CGI of the band entering the stadium in a sports car heralded the arrival of AC/DC it was impossible from my spot about halfway back on the pitch to see the band coming on amidst a forest of hands and phones in the air. The setlist has had something of a revamp and one of those brought back, ‘If You Want Blood You Got It’ was a suitable opener. Eventually I could make out the unmistakable figure of Angus Young in an electric blue school blazer, even if with his now silver hair poking out of the sides of a monogrammed school cap, there was an air of a Womble to him!

As expected it was every much the Angus and Brian Johnson show though cousin Stevie and the new members Chris Chaney and Matt Laug solidly and reliably chugged out that unmistakable AC/DC rhythm, though the latter seemed a more straight ahead, powerhouse drummer than the laconic Phil Rudd.

‘Back in Black’ was the first of those instantly recognisable, dare we say iconic, signature anthems followed by the briefest of introductions from Brian. The big grin on his face and glint in his eye were infectious but the fast paced ‘Demon Fire’ (one of two new songs alongside ‘Shot In The Dark’) was certainly a big test three songs in. While giving the band added authenticity, it has to be said that his voice did sound rather strained and croaky throughout, hardly surprising given the wear and tear it has taken. That said it was hard to tell at times, such was the muffled sound, confirming that large sports stadia and good acoustics for music are strange bedfellows.

There were massive crowd reactions to the likes of ‘Thunderstruck’ and ‘Hells Bells’, whose opening strains so enthused Ally, but it seemed there were fewer props than previously. The bells were there but the inflatable ‘Rosie’ or 3-D ‘Runaway Train’ were absent this time, replaced by video equivalents . In addition, there were some worryingly long pauses while the audiovisuals for the next song were cued up.

Among familiar songs like ‘Have a Drink On Me’ and ‘Shot Down In Flames’ and the extended, bluesier stylings of ‘Sin City’, ‘Stiff Upper Lip’ was an unexpected addition with Bryan grinning at Angus during its double entendres. ‘Shoot to Thrill’ saw people around me push forward to join a bit of a mosh pit, after which it was rather more comfortable, as the second half of the set did feature more Bon Scott-era favourites including ‘Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap’, ‘High Voltage’ and another of those lesser played songs in ‘Riff Raff’ where Angus’ hypercharged riffing was hypnotic.

We were now at the stage of one classic after, with the whole stadium right up to the back of the top tier rocking away to ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ and a final surprise as one of the world’s most played songs ‘Highway To Hell’ moved into the main set after being in a three song encore since time immoral.

If it wasn’t already the Angus show, it certainly was now as for all its familiarity, the speed and energy yet also control of his solo on ‘Whole Lotta Rosie’ remains a thing of wonder, then ‘Let There Be Rock’ became his usual showcase as he was lifted on a riser for a remarkable long solo, though it eventually outstayed its welcome, reaching its peak a good few minutes before some less purposeful guitar work dragged it out to over 20 minutes before we were all showered in confetti.

There were no surprises for the two remaining encores with the crowd chanting ‘oi’ to the punk-ish ‘T.N.T.’ to a backdrop of fire on stage, then six cannons appearing for a majestic and slow burning ‘For Those About To Rock’ which culminated not only in the cannons firing, but a fireworks display.

It was a suitably spectacular end to a two and a quarter hour show. For sure it fell short of their previous shows I’d seen here on a number of levels, but I had no regrets being a part of that communal experience to enjoy one more time again some of the rock catalogue’s best loved songs. Those songs will live on for ever, but future generations will look in envy that we had the privilege to see AC/DC live.

Review and Photos by Andy Nathan

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Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024

ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)

Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)